This is my first story so please be patient and Review! (I really need feedback: it serves as criticism and support)
Thorne POV
Walking into the school, Thorne could feel everyone's eyes on him. He started his normal Wednesday routine: smirk at the choir girls on his right, high five the football players on their Friday night win, and wink at the cheerleaders that swooned at them.
He neared his locker seeing a face that he couldn't exactly place the name of.
A brunette girl with wide, green eyes shrieked and ran to envelop him into a hug.
"Kaylee?" he tried. No answer. "Maddi? Lily? Samantha?"
He sighed as the girl, Samantha, finally let go.
Samantha started talking with a high-pitched voice. Why had he even chosen to date her?
"So Thorne, do you want to go out tomorrow for a-"
He cut her off by putting a finger against her lips.
She grinned mischievously and looked up at him.
"Samantha," he said, "I'm breaking up with you."
Like every other girl that he'd broken up within his lifetime, her eyes started welling up with tears.
"Sam it was bound to happen. Besides, you're lucky I didn't break up with you over text."
He didn't catch her expression as he turned away, looking right into a sea of blue. He froze.
Cress was leaning against the lockers, on the other side of the hallway. He dropped his eyes to scan her outfit teasingly. A white, wool-knit sweater that brought out her curves paired with washed out blue jeans and white converse. Sexy as always. She was laughing at something a football player, Kinney, was saying but her eyes were on Thorne. Her lips formed a smirk; she was always making fun of Thorne's player moves.
Thorne raised an eyebrow at Kinney as Cress rolled her eyes. She mouthed 'Friend,' and now it was Thorne's turn to roll his eyes. Every guy she dated was always a friend, but then they became more than friends, kissed, and then bam! They were dating. Kinney finally realized that Cress wasn't paying attention to him anymore, and turned around just as Thorne looked away.
He felt someone slap him on the back, and he turned again to see his friends, Kai and Wolf, grinning like idiots.
"What's up," he asked, fist-bumping both of them.
Wolf shrugged, "Seen Scar?"
Thorne rolled his eyes, "Is that all you care about these days?"
Wolf opened his mouth to retort, but Kai answered instead.
"She's not a that, she's like my alpha," Kai said, an octave lower than his normal vocal range.
Wolf growled, suppressing a smile.
Thorne grinned, eyeing the front door, "Speaking of the devil..."
Wolf turned, grinning as he saw Scarlet.
Scarlet nodded at Kai and kissed Wolf on the cheek. When she pulled away Thorne shielded his eyes, "God Scarlet! Some of us would like to keep our innocence. No PDA!"
Scarlet punched Thorne in the shoulder, "Oh you're one to talk."
Thorne stuck his tongue out playfully and nodded to Cinder. Cinder nudged him in return, "Where's your girlfriend?"
"Broke up," he said casually.
Everyone nodded as if it were a normal thing. They weren't wrong, it was.
Winter walked into the school, followed by Jacin. Though the two weren't dating, Jacin made it clear that if anyone so much looked at Winter they'd be getting a black eye.
Like usual the school crowd parted for Winter. First, Winter was the nicest girl in school (she fed the birds that flew into the cafeteria). And second, Jacin was always behind her so that gave everyone an incentive to clear up. Of course, Jacin wasn't just pretty boy (not like he was pretty, that's Thorne's job). He was probably the second most deadly guy in school, right after Wolf.
They both merged into the circle, and Winter greeted everyone with her usual peppy, "Good Morning!"
They all, plus Cress, made up the crew. AKA the most popular people in school.
"Where's Cress?" Cinder blurted.
Thorne looked in the direction of the lockers were Cress was now twirling a piece of her chest-length blonde hair between her fingers. And she was surrounded by the whole football team. The cheerleaders, across the hallway, looked on with jealousy.
The crew followed his gaze, and Wolf chuckled deeply.
"I can't tell which one's gonna be her new beau," Cinder said, scanning the football players.
"Kinney," Thorne said.
"Oh," Cinder said, "Kinney? Well I guess he's-"
"-different," Scarlet said.
"In a good way," Winter piped up. "He volunteers with Jacin and me after school at the animal shelter."
"But he's a football player," Kai added condescendingly.
Thorne was quiet. When it came to Cress's love life he had nothing to say.
Cress finally looked up from talking the football players and looked straight at Cinder. Thorne saw Cinder smirk and Cress blush. Cress looked up at the clock, and her eyes widened- 10 minutes before class starts.
Cress said something to Kinney and then walked out of the football player circle. They all hooted as she left, and she gave them a call-me-later sign and wink over her shoulder.
Thorne could see the blush on Kinney's cheeks from the across the hallway.
Cress joined the circle, right next to Thorne.
"Morning," she said and grabbed the coffee that Kai always got for her.
"Soooo Kinney," Cinder drawled, eyeing Cress's coffee with disgust.
"Soooo nothing," Cress replied, taking a sip of her coffee. She moaned, "So good."
Cinder rolled her eyes, "Are you dating him yet?"
Cress ignored Cinder and glanced at Thorne, who was next to her.
"You still with the girl?"
Thorne shook his head as Cress nodded.
"Cress?" Scarlet tried instead, "Are you?"
"No Scarlet," Cress snapped, "We are just friends. Can't I just talk to a guy and just be friends?"
"Name an example," Winter piped up.
"What?" Cress asked, her attitude disappearing.
"Name an example of a guy you didn't date, but is still your friend," Winter clarified.
Cress nodded, "All of you guys in the crew," she said.
"Except me," Kai said.
"Except Kai," Cress said.
Cress and Kai dated a while back. About a year ago. But she wasn't loyal... Of course, Thorne wasn't going to bring that up now.
"Well all of us have found our soulmates," Wolf said, grinning at Scarlet.
Kai coughed, "Alpha."
Wolf grinned wider.
"Well..." Cress said scanning the circle, "Thorne hasn't!"
Thorne smirked, "Ding ding ding!"
Winter nodded, "I mean ye-"
"Plus I haven't dated the whole school. Just a couple of guys. I could name more guy frie-"
The 10-minute bell rang, interrupting Cress.
"Nevermind," Cinder said looking at the crew.
Scarlet piped up, "Party and study group at my masion (house in French) today."
"Can't," Cress and Thorne said at the same time. He grinned at her.
"Why?" Scarlet asked.
"We, um, have to do something," Cress said, winking at Thorne. Thorne smirked back.
Scarlet glared, "What?"
Thorne wrapped his arm around Cress's waist, as Cress leaned her head against his shoulder.
"Well we're going on a date, and then probably making out on my-" Thorne started.
Next to him, Cinder punched his shoulder. "Shut up. What are you doing?"
Cress grinned, leaning off of Thorne's shoulder, but his hand was still at her waist.
"You guys should know by now that Wednesdays are our days. Captain Thorne and Damsel Darnel, just like old times," Cress said grinning up at Thorne, just as he grinned down at her.
Scarlet smiled, "Fine but-"
She was interrupted by a lacrosse player, uninvited, joining the circle.
Thorne felt a hand on his back, and he turned around to see Cress's brother, Aimery.
"Hellooo losers," he said, smirking at the circle. Everyone knew that he was a jerk to everyone but his girlfriend Stephanie.
Cress shrugged off Aimery's grip. "Hellooo moron."
"Idiot," Aimery countered back.
"Imbecile," Cress said, as Thorne let go of her waist.
"Bastard."
Cress glared, "Piece of shit."
Aimery grinned, "Bitch."
Cress smirked, "Dick."
Aimery glared at her as Cress laughed.
"You're taking out the trash," Aimery said.
Cress smiled, "Nope. That's your job. Plus, I'm going to Thorne's."
Aimery moved his glare to Thorne, who smirked back.
"It's like you spend more time in his house than ours. Please move."
"I would if Dad didn't like me better. Since you're always making babies with your girlfriend S-"
Aimery growled, "You little-"
"Have a nice day," Cress said, turning back to the circle, flipping him off.
"You're so lucky that we're in school."
From across the circle, Winter shivered.
"Love you," Cress said.
"Love you too," Aimery murmured back, his attitude finally maturing. As he left he shouted, "And Thorne, get your hands off my little sister!"
Thorne looked down and smirked at Cress, while she grinned.
"Are you guys always like that?" Scarlet asked.
"Pretty much," Cress said.
"You guys are literally like Ran and Wolf," Scarlet said.
Ran was Wolf's jerk of a brother. Cress dated him a year ago, and he still isn't over her. He kept trying to pounce on her until Aimery knocked out all of Ran's front teeth when he saw.
Now it was Cress's turn to shiver.
She turned to Wolf, "How is he anyway?"
Wolf shrugged, "He doesn't live with Mom and me anymore. He lives with Dad, but goes to the other school I heard."
Scarlet rubbed Wolf's shoulder just as the 5-minute bell rang.
"See y'all at lunch," Cinder said.
"Did you just-" Jacin started.
"Yes, yes I did."
As the circle scattered, Thorne held out his hand to Cress.
"Shall we go, m'lady?"
Cress grinned. "Yes. Yes, we shall."
Lunch
Cress POV
Cress plopped her tray down on the cafeteria table of the crew.
Almost everyone was there.
Cress sat in her usual spot. In between Jacin and Kai, across from Wolf.
Right now Jacin wasn't there, though everyone else was.
She was about to say something when Winter interrupted her.
"Do you know where Jacin is?" Winter asked.
Everyone shrugged.
"Probably trying to find a way to ask you out," Thorne said.
Winter suppressed her grin but ended up blushing.
"Anyways," Cress said, "I hate Ms. Sybil."
"Why?" Wolf asked, smirking, biting into his 4th tomato in the last 2 minutes.
"She gave me a detention because Justin Bell was talking to me! And Justin didn't even get detention! She's out to get me," Cress said, biting into her sandwich.
"Well lucky for you I have detention as well," Wolf said, grinning at Cress.
"Wolf we have plans after school!" Scarlet said as Wolf laughed. He kissed her on the cheek making her even angrier.
Cress diverted her gaze, looking over at Thorne. He sat on the right of Wolf. His back was turned as he was talking to Kai and Cinder. His hair was artfully tousled, and his sweatshirt hugged him in all the right places. She looked down at her plate before he could see her staring. That moment made her remember of when she did have a crush on Thorne and- stop. She blushed at the memory. But then she was naive, with a crush on the boy next door. Now she wasn't.
Cress looked up right into eyes that were a shade darker than her own. Thorne. He saw she looked up and quickly looked away. His started picking at his sandwich, his ears slightly red.
Cress fought the urge to grin and looked over at Winter who was still texting on her phone. Jacin was nowhere to be found.
"Where's Jacin?" Cress asked Winter.
Winter looked up once she realized the table had gone silent. "Umm… yes?"
"Where's Jacin?" Cress repeated.
Winter's eyes widened, and she bit her lip. "I don't know."
Cress saw a light pleading in Winter's eyes and decided to drop it.
"So are you guys gonna study for Ms. Blackburn's test on Friday?" Cress said, changing the subject.
"Nah," Thorne said, "Winging it."
"And going to fail it," Kai added.
"Hey!" Thorne said as the whole table laughed. "I keep a pretty good average in that class," Thorne said.
Wolf scoffed, "C minus?"
Thorne reddened. "No a C plus," he murmured.
Everyone laughed again. "Now that I think about it Thorne, we are not playing video games," Cress said.
Thorne pouted, "But Cress-"
"We're gonna study for that test," she said, and the table laughed again.
"What do you have in the class?" Thorne asked, smirking.
Cress grinned. "Not to brag, but an A-minus," she said.
Thorne's eyes widened, "How?"
Next to Cress, Kai nudged her.
"I have my secret weapon," she said. "Kai."
"I used to tutor her after school on Thursdays. She got her grade up from a C plus to an A-minus. I'm a pretty good tutor," Kai said, grinning.
"And I'm a good student," Cress said laughing.
"Cinder, what do you have in the class?" Thorne asked, smirking again.
But Cinder too busy glaring at Kai to respond. "When I asked if you'd tutor me you said no. Yet you tutor Cress?"
Kai rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Cinder, it's awkward to tutor your girlfriend."
Cinder rolled her eyes. "To answer your question, Thorne, I have a B plus."
"Not bad, not bad," Scarlet piped up.
"What do you have?" Cress asked, eyes narrowing.
"A plus," Scarlet said, flipping her hair.
"That's my girl," Wolf said.
"How?" Cress asked.
"Cause she's kissing Blackburn's ass," Jacin said, plopping his lunch next to Cress.
"Am not," Scarlet said. "Where were you?"
"Nowhere. Just saw a special someone," he said. Before anyone could ask who, Jacin diverted his gaze to Winter who looked scared out of her mind.
Cress was about to go back arguing with Scarlet when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see someone she hadn't seen in a while.
Ran. Wolf's younger brother.